Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo Episode 8 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Set Off a Huge Firework

Sorata receives a letter from the game design competition asking him to present on August 31st, along with an anonymous note asking to be taught love, and Mashiro asks him what love is. After a failed rehearsal, Sorata reworks his presentation with help from his housemates, but judge Kazuki Fujisawa asks a question he cannot answer and his game is rejected. A pool party turns into a chase with the school guard, and Sorata admits he is sad before the group celebrates with fireworks and sparklers.

• Letters and love question

  Nanami delivers two letters to Sorata: one from the game competition saying he passed the first round and must present on August 31, and an unsigned note reading 'Teach me love'. Mashiro then asks Sorata what love is, and he answers with a pun about koi fish.

• Presentation preparation and failure

  Sorata's first rehearsal in front of the residents bores them, and he rewrites it through many overnight sessions while Nanami brings him snacks. At the competition, judge Kazuki Fujisawa asks a question he cannot answer, and his game is not accepted.

• Pool party and fireworks

  Jin and Misaki throw a pool party at school to cheer Sorata up, but they have no permission and the guard chases them off. Outside, Sorata admits to Nanami that he is sad and realizes it hurt because he took it seriously; the group watches the fireworks and celebrates with sparklers at Sakurasou.

Recent Timeline

• Nanami takes over Mashiro's care (Episode 5)

  After seeing Mashiro's messy room, Nanami insists on taking over her care. Her attempts at laundry and cleaning fail, and while trying to follow Mashiro's manga routine she overworks herself until she collapses asleep in the dining room, where Sorata finds her.

• Nanami's collapse and failed audition (Episode 6)

  Overworked, Nanami collapses on her way to school, and after Mashiro pleads, the residents help her reach the audition anyway. The audition ends in failure, but when she apologizes to Sorata, he tells her everyone saw how hard she tried, and she cries in relief. Nanami then returns the Mashiro duty to Sorata.

• Yuuko's visit (Episode 7)

  Sorata's younger sister Yuuko visits Sakurasou, misreads his relationships with the residents, and goes on a shrine outing with him, Nanami and Mashiro. She leaves for Fukuoka declaring she will enter Suiko next year, and Misaki finally gets her driving license.

• Presentation preparation (Episode 8)

  Sorata passes the first round of the game design competition and must present on August 31. After his first rehearsal bores the residents, he rewrites it night after night with Jin's help and Nanami's snacks, and on the day Mashiro gives him a lucky charm she bought herself.

• Rejection, then the pool and fireworks (Episode 8)

  At the presentation, judge Kazuki Fujisawa asks a question Sorata cannot answer and his game is rejected, while Mashiro's serialization meeting succeeds the same day. Jin and Misaki's unauthorized pool party ends in a chase with the guard, and under the fireworks Sorata admits he is sad and realizes it hurt because he was serious.

Character Graph

Chihiro Sengoku (Chihiro-sensei)

Dorm adviser · Suimei University of the Arts High School art teacher

Sakurasou's dorm adviser and a Suiko art teacher, lazy and still single. As Mashiro's cousin, she is the one who left Mashiro's care to Sorata.

• Family link

  Mashiro's cousin, who asked Sorata to pick her up and look after her.

• Mashiro Shiina (Family, Neutral)

  Her cousin, whose care she has left to Sorata.

• Sorata Kanda (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  Student she keeps handing chores, from fixing the nameplate to picking up Mashiro.

Daichi Miyahara

Suiko student

Sorata's classmate and friend, who once warned him that picking up cats would keep him out of the regular dorm.

• Warning

  Told Sorata that if he kept picking up cats he would never get back into the regular dorm.

• Sorata Kanda (Friend, Affinity)

  Friend who talks with him about his move to Sakurasou.

Maid

AI

An AI mail program Ryuunosuke built himself, which replies to people on his behalf. When Sorata asks for presentation advice, it first answers with a teasing joke before Ryuunosuke replies himself.

• Ryuunosuke Akasaka (Other, Neutral)

  Its creator, on whose behalf it answers.

• Sorata Kanda (Other, Neutral)

  Answers Sorata in Ryuunosuke's place.

Ryuunosuke Akasaka (Ryuunosuke)

Sakurasou resident

A genius programmer in room 102 who rarely leaves his room and talks to others through his self-made AI mail program, Maid. When Sorata asks him for presentation advice, he curtly tells him to wear a suit and to rehearse in front of everyone at Sakurasou.

• Communication method

  Usually talks to others through Maid, the AI program he built himself.

• Maid (Other, Neutral)

  His self-made AI, which answers for him.

• Sorata Kanda (Colleague, Neutral)

  Housemate who asks him for presentation advice; he tells Sorata to wear a suit and rehearse in front of everyone at Sakurasou.

Jin Mitaka

Sakurasou resident

A popular senior in room 103 who loves Misaki but keeps his distance, unable to bear the gap between them. He helps Sorata rehearse his presentation and, with Misaki, throws an unauthorized pool party to cheer him up after his rejection.

• Osaka plan

  Plans to attend university in Osaka instead of Suimei, which would leave Misaki behind.

• Misaki Kamiigusa (Other, Mixed)

  He loves her but cannot bear the gap between them, and plans to leave for Osaka.

• Sorata Kanda (Friend, Neutral)

  Junior he helps rehearse and cheers up with a pool party.

Mashiro Shiina

Sakurasou resident · Suiko transfer student

A world-famous painter from England who transferred to Suiko dreaming of becoming a manga artist; she can barely take care of herself, so Sorata looks after her. She asks Sorata what love is so she can draw a love story, and passes her serialization meeting on the same day his presentation fails.

• Needs constant care

  Needs someone to handle her clothes, laundry, room cleaning and waking up.

• Question about love

  Asks what love is because she wants to feel it to draw a love story.

• Chihiro Sengoku (Family, Neutral)

  Her cousin, who arranged for her to live at Sakurasou.

• Sorata Kanda (Guardian, Friend, Affinity)

  She gives him a lucky charm she bought on her own, but after his rejection he sends her away.

• Nanami Aoyama (Friend, Affinity)

  Nanami tells her she is beginning to understand what love is.

• Yuuko Kanda (Other, Hostility)

  Sorata's sister, who suspects her of being too close to Sorata and sometimes gets rough with her.

Misaki Kamiigusa

Sakurasou resident

An eccentric animator in room 201 who wants to be Jin's girlfriend. To cheer Sorata up after his rejection, she and Jin throw a pool party at the school pool, which ends in a chase with the guard.

• Feelings for Jin

  Confided to Sorata that she wants to be Jin's girlfriend and asked for his help, not knowing that Jin plans to leave for Osaka.

• Jin Mitaka (Other, Mixed)

  She wants to be his girlfriend, but he plans to leave for Osaka.

• Sorata Kanda (Friend, Affinity)

  She throws a pool party to cheer him up after his rejection.

Sorata Kanda

Sakurasou resident

An ordinary Suiko student who was moved to Sakurasou's room 101 for picking up stray cats, and the one in charge of looking after Mashiro. He passes the first round of a game design competition and rehearses with the residents' help, but fails to answer a judge's question and is rejected; crushed at first, he realizes it hurt because he was serious and resolves to keep going.

• Mashiro duty

  At Chihiro's request he wakes Mashiro, picks out her clothes and does her laundry.

• Dream of making games

  Wants to become a game creator; he passed the competition's first round but was rejected at the presentation, and resolves to keep trying.

• Mashiro Shiina (Guardian, Friend, Affinity)

  She gives him a lucky charm she bought herself, but on the day he is rejected he cannot face her success and sends her away.

• Chihiro Sengoku (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  Dorm adviser who keeps handing him chores, such as fixing the nameplate and picking up Mashiro.

• Nanami Aoyama (Friend, Affinity)

  She brings him snacks while he rehearses all night and stays by him after his rejection.

• Jin Mitaka (Friend, Neutral)

  Senior housemate who helps him rehearse and throws a pool party to cheer him up.

• Misaki Kamiigusa (Friend, Affinity)

  Throws the pool party with Jin to cheer him up after his rejection.

• Yuuko Kanda (Family, Affinity)

  Younger sister who recently visited and misread his life at Sakurasou.

• Daichi Miyahara (Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate who warned him that picking up cats would keep him out of the regular dorm.

• Ryuunosuke Akasaka (Colleague, Neutral)

  Housemate who, asked for presentation advice, told him to wear a suit and rehearse in front of the Sakurasou residents.

• Kazuki Fujisawa (Other, Neutral)

  Judge who asked the question he could not answer, so his game was rejected.

Yuuko Kanda (Yuuko)

Kanda family

Sorata's younger sister, a third-year middle school student. She recently visited Sakurasou on the pretext of asking her brother for high school advice, misread the residents' relationships, and went home to Fukuoka declaring she will enter Suiko next year.

• Visit to Sakurasou

  Came under the pretext of asking Sorata for high school advice, but really just wanted to see her brother, and asked him on a date.

• Suspicious of residents

  Jumps to wrong conclusions about Sorata's relationships with the residents, especially Mashiro and Nanami.

• Sorata Kanda (Family, Affinity)

  Older brother she came to see and openly adores.

• Mashiro Shiina (Other, Hostility)

  Suspects her of being too close to her brother and sometimes gets rough with her.

• Nanami Aoyama (Other, Mixed)

  Misreads Nanami's remark that Sorata helps her a lot.

Kazuki Fujisawa

Game competition judge

A judge at the game design competition who asked Sorata a question he could not answer just before his presentation, leading to his rejection.

• Sorata Kanda (Other, Neutral)

  Judged his presentation and asked the question he could not answer, so his game was rejected.

Nanami Aoyama

Sakurasou resident · Suiko student

Sorata's classmate who moved into Sakurasou while chasing her dream of becoming a voice actress; she works hard and rarely relies on anyone. She delivers Sorata's competition letters, brings him snacks during his all-night rewrites and stays by him after his rejection, helping him see why it hurt so much.

• Audition failure

  Collapsed from overwork and failed her voice-acting audition, but cried in relief at Sorata's comfort.

• Hidden feelings

  Has feelings for Sorata that he does not notice.

• Sorata Kanda (Friend, Affinity)

  She looks after him through his presentation and its failure, though he doesn't notice her feelings.

• Mashiro Shiina (Friend, Affinity)

  Tells Mashiro she is beginning to understand what love is.

World Memo

• Suimei University of the Arts High School

  An arts high school attached to Suimei University of the Arts, called Suiko for short. Students can transfer in mid-year, and all the Sakurasou residents attend it.

• Sakurasou

  One of Suiko's dorms, where students who caused trouble in the regular dorm end up. Sorata was moved here for picking up stray cats, and once moved, returning to the regular dorm is not easy. Art teacher Chihiro Sengoku serves as its dorm adviser.

• Sakurasou meetings and Mashiro duty

  Matters at Sakurasou are settled at Sakurasou meetings of all the residents, and it was at one that Sorata was put on Mashiro duty: because Mashiro can barely manage daily life, he wakes her, picks out her clothes and does her laundry. Nanami took the duty over for a while, but returned it to Sorata after her audition.

• Each resident's dream

  The residents each pursue a craft: Sorata wants to become a game creator, Nanami a voice actress, Misaki makes anime, Jin writes scripts, Mashiro draws manga despite being a famous painter, and Ryuunosuke is a genius programmer.

• Voice-acting school audition

  The voice-acting school Nanami attends holds auditions that filter its students; Nanami failed hers after overworking herself.

• Game design competition

  Entries that pass the first screening are presented in person before judges. Sorata passed the first round but was rejected at his August 31 presentation after failing to answer a judge's question.

Clue Board

• Jin's Osaka plan and Misaki (Episode 6)

  Sorata learned that Jin plans to go to university in Osaka instead of Suimei, but Jin asked him to keep it from Misaki, saying he would tell her himself. Misaki, who wants to be Jin's girlfriend, still does not know, and whether the two will part is unsettled.

• Nanami's feelings (Episode 6)

  Nanami looks after Sorata through his presentation and its failure and shows another sign of her feelings, but he still does not notice. She tells Mashiro she is beginning to understand what love is.

• Mashiro's question about love (Episode 8)

  On the day a note reading 'Teach me love' arrives, Mashiro asks Sorata what love is, and he guesses she sent the note. She says she needs to feel love to draw a love story, and her question has no answer yet.

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–8

Sorata Kanda, who moved into the problem-student dorm Sakurasou for picking up stray cats, is asked by dorm adviser Chihiro Sengoku to look after Mashiro Shiina, a genius painter from England. He nearly leaves Sakurasou but stays after seeing how hard Mashiro works on her manga.

Nanami Aoyama, who dreams of becoming a voice actress, moves in and fails her audition, and Jin secretly plans to leave for university in Osaka without telling Misaki. After his sister Yuuko's chaotic visit, Sorata passes the first round of a game design competition, only to be rejected at the presentation when he cannot answer a judge's question, on the same day Mashiro's serialization meeting succeeds. A pool-party chase and fireworks with the residents help him see that it hurt because he was serious.

Music Releases

• Kimi ga Yume wo Tsuretekita (OP)
• Days of Dash (ED)